From harvests of estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, assembled off the salubrious Dominique Portet vineyards. The temperate seasons of Yarra Valley allow for complete ripening of fruit, components grown to climes further afield at Heathcote or the Pyreness encourage the development of fragrant pepper spice and the most graceful tannins. The lucky grapes are all hand picked, destemmed and very gently crushed, to be fashioned into a sublimely integrated accord, showing suppleness on the palate after an engaging nose of delicate perfumes.

$2499each $299DOZEN EACH DOZEN Dominique Portet did his training at some of the world's most illustrious red winemaking estates. He qualified at the Montpellier University of Oenology and during a compulsory one year military service was the Legion's wine purchasing adviser. Portet spent vintages in the Medoc, Rhone Valley, Provence and with Moet et Chandon. Following vintages in the Napa Valley, the founding of Taltarni and Clover Hill, vintage 2000 would see the establishment of the Dominique Portet label. Choice harvests of Cabernet Sauvignon are treated to a three day cold soak, vinified and left on skins for two to three weeks before maturation, mostly in a selection of fine French oak barrels.

Bright purple red in the glass. Juicy dark fruit aromas and flavours that focus on blackberry, plums and red cherry with a floral lift. A wine of supple texture and intense fruit, clear crisp acidity makes the flavours evolve over lovely soft tannins, making this elegant red blend so very easy to drink right now, ideally alongside pink butterfly lamb, Coq au vin or egg ribbon pasta with meatballs.

Heathcote produces the most distinctive Shiraz wines, lined by noble tannins and carrying a serious weight of fruit. The rich terra rosa soils and favourably sunny climes make the region so exciting for protagonists of world class Shiraz, that it beckoned Dominique Portet to impart continental flair and skill into parcels of the choicest local fruit. A solidly structured wine, instantly recognizable as Heathcote, endowed with showroom tannins and an intensity of bramble flavours, luxuriously refined oak and minarets of peppery, aromatic spice.

$4999each $599DOZEN EACH DOZEN Dominique Portet is the ninth generation of his family committed to winemaking, yet he is the first to establish a winery and label bearing the family name. His training began early, at one of the world's most illustrious estates. Portet's father was regisseur (vineyard and winery manager) of the great Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Shiraz is harvested as the fruit reaches the desired levels of physiological ripeness. Following selection and sorting, grapes are inoculated and macerated in fermenters, followed by transfer to a selection of the most luxurious Allier, Nevers and Tronçais French oak barrels for an extended maturation and term of bottle age underneath the Dominique Portet cellars.

Deep garnet colour. Nose of bright, ripe red and black fruit, liquorice and freshly milled spice over red and black cherry notes. Delightfully approachable in its youth, the distinctive plum and spicy pepper flavours are supported by smooth but firm tannins. New French oak enhances the complexity of flavour, Portet is a master in the fine art of handling oak without destroying the fruit. A match to duck, steak and the finest cheese.

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There really is a Dowie Doole, architect/grower Drew Dowie and international banker/grower Norm Doole. Their dedicated team have struck a purple patch with Merlot, fortifying the pick of their crop with a tenth of Cabernet Sauvignon for structure, aromaticness and length. At Dowie Doole, quality drives everything. Viticulturally, the ultimate expression of quality is in delivering harvests of the most exceptional fruit to make great wines. The requisite McLaren Merlot style of early accessibility and soft lingering flavours, gracious tannins and supportive oak.

$2299each $275DOZEN EACH DOZEN Some of the finest, eldest and most distinguished McLaren Vale vineyards have now been welcomed into the Dowie Doole family. Merlot is harvested in excellent condition as the grapes achieve rich colour, exemplary varietal flavour, good acidity and fine ripe tannins. Fruit is crushed and vinified on skins in a static fermenter for six days. A third of the juices are run off into medium toast American oak hogsheads and barrel fermented to dryness. The balance is fermented to dryness and transferred to a selection of seasoned, second and third use barrels. Batches complete malolactic and several months maturation before assembling into the final wine.

Bright crimson red, purple hues. An aromatic nose dominated by spices and ripe red fruit such as plums, rhubarb and cherry. A medium bodied palate with barrel fermentation integrating the oak with ripe plum and soft, herbaceous, berry characters. The wine opens up to reveal roasted chocolate and coffee characters finishing with soft, rounded tannins.

Unmistakably McLaren Vale, a Shiraz of exceptional colour and profound structure, freshness and barrel ferment richness, intensity of flavour and beautifully bright currant acidity. Dowie Doole are viticulturalists with a deep love of the land, partisans of good fruit from healthy vines which are part of a balanced, bio diverse environment. Harvests of physiologically ripe grapes are essential, the luxury of extended maturation in a high proportion of new oak augments the fruit and beatifies the tannins.

$2299each $275DOZEN EACH DOZEN Frustrated at not being in control of their own fruit as they watched it trucked away to other wineries, Norm Doole and Drew Dowie opened a bottle of red over breakfast and decided to form a partnership, the purpose of which was to take complete charge of their grapes and to make their own wines. Five tonnes parcels of McLaren Vale Shiraz are picked at healthy levels of ripeness and treated to a few days of cold soak, batches are crushed and vinified for up to three weeks in traditional fat boy fermenters. An extended term of skin contact is followed by pressing into French oak barrels for completion of malolactic and several rackings over the course of eighteen months maturation.

Bright, dark crimson hue. Spicy, sweet plum and black cherry fruits on the nose, some white pepper and cloves with hints of dark chocolate and fruitcake overlaying creamy, vanilla oak. The palate is rich and fulll with layers of flavours of dark plum, ripe black cherry, dark chocolate and spices before a long, rounded, sweet fruited, spicy finish. A match with rib eye and bone marrow sauce.

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The most highly coke addled marketing executive couldn't have come up with a brand like Dowie Doole, but fast forward and the label now enjoys a growing reputation for profound Shiraz wines in Australia and overseas. Small crops of extraordinary quality fruit are grown to some enduring Mclaren Vale vines, to be fermented and matured at the Boar's Rock wineworks.

$8299each $995DOZEN EACH DOZEN The small 74 Block was the first parcel to be replanted on Norm Doole's California Road Vineyard in 1974, it produces fruit of unique concentration and complexity. Shiraz is harvested throughout the night to take advantage of cooler temperatures. Fruit is crushed into a small static fermenter for vinification on skins over a period of eight days while being treated to pumpovers thrice daily. At 2 baume the must is pressed straight to a selection of completely new French oak hogsheads for twenty four months maturation and a course of several rack and returns. Upon completion, the assembled Dowie Doole is given a coarse filtration before bottling.

Intense deep purple colour. A complex nose of dark fruits and leather, spices and dark chocolate. The full bodied palate is rich and generous, it follows on from the bouquet with blackberry and plums, spices and dark chocolate. A complex wine with excellent tannin structure, length and weight, marzipan and liquorice linger right through and onto the very long smooth aftertaste.

A decidedly regional Pinot Noir, Drift are all about capturing the natural endowments of Marlborough and bringing the goodness of it all to the world. Minimal intervention is a priority, to ensure that the wines clearly expresses the uniqueness of the land. Drift take a decidely eclectic approach to constructing a wine that expresses the totality of all good things Marlborough. The palate is animate with ripe red cherry and raspberry flavours, perfumed by spice notes, supported by gentle tannins and juicy acidity, wrapped in a veil of supply seasoned oak.

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